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I place my hand on Pete’s forearm. “It’s actually, Poppy. Poppy Pietro and I’ll let you know. The jury is still out on that one. Thank you for watching over me.” He puffs out his chest as if he’s proud he drank at my bar and I’m calling it heroic.

I turn my stool toward Sal and glare. “I’m going to start by asking this question. You came here to be found.”

He sips his tea and speaks over the lip of the glass, “That’s not a question, Gingersnap.” I stare at him. He breathes out one long breath as if he knows I’m no longer accepting vague answers. “Yes. If Lou and I got separated or something happened to one of us, this was always the place we were going to rendezvous. That way we could signal Brick without throwing up alarms all around. Because he’s the only other person I trust. And he can actually handle a firearm.”

“Elle’s an excellent shot.” I offer up. She trained with Lou and Sal.

“And has four children to take care of and is pregnant again.”

I throw my hands up. “SHE IS? Why does no one tell me anything? Oh, my god. That’s awful.”

Skinny Pete pipes in, “That a blessing, ain’t it?” Sal laughs and nods.

“Our friend Elle hates being pregnant, even though that’s all she’s been for about four and a half years now. She loves the kids, hates the process.”

“Must not hate it too much if she keep doing it. It a good process if memory serve.”

Sal smiles, “This time it was her idea, or that’s the intel I’ve gathered. She wants to try for a boy. Being here was also the best way not to sound off the Five Families alarm and get your massive village involved. The men need to stay put. However, I didn’t count on Brick finding you. I should have. I hope he’s kept his mouth shut. I don’t need the fucking uncles charging in here with their farming skills.”

I wink at him this time. “That’s the problem with being fake dead. You can’t control anything from beyond the grave.” He tickles me and then leans in for a kiss.

Bowls of gumbo, a dozen oysters, and about six songs into the first piano set of the night. I hear a screech over the top of the music as the door slams on its crooked hinges.

And our circle of silence on my husband’s fake death expands: Sal, Lou, Boomer, Lucille, Skinny Pete, Tabi, Myself, Brick and my freaking cousin. I yell, “Becca!” She takes me into her arms, squeezing too tightly.

Becca scolds me throughout the hug. “Don’t disappear. I can’t stand that you did that. It was awkward and weird and sad. I knew you weren’t dead, but you weren’t really alive either. Don’t ever fucking do that again.” She pushes me back and points a finger.

“I promise. I won’t ever go, Dark Willow, again when my husband…” I hook my thumb toward him, “…pretends to die.”

“Ah! Oh. No. No. No! Not happening. More crime. I’m responsible for a crime. Shit. I falsified legal documents. I executed the will of an alive man. That’s fraud.”

Brick’s hands settle on her shoulders, and I watch her physically relax under his touch. “Simmer, down sugar. No one knows he’s alive but us. And I’m assuming it’s the reason Tabi didn’t return ya to us. Come here, li’l bit.”

I stare at him. “Brick Dunne, Gulfport local, ex-military mercenary gentleman to top all southern gentlemen.”

He pulls me into a brotherly hug. “At your service. And you should know your mama, Ms. Tina, is about out of her mind now. That’s not fair to the living to go off chasing the dead. Even if it did work out this time. After we get done with what we have to do, you come home, you hear? Breaking people’s hearts is no way to go through life.”

Skinny Pete pipes up, “She broke mine!” Brick shakes his head at him.

“Promise.” I smile at Brick as Sal pulls him into a bear hug.

They embrace like war buddies. They do have common enemies and an intense shared history chasing down Brick’s ghosts, taking out Cady’s left hand while leaving Enzo to mind the right.

Sal says, “No company with you. He sent someone for her.” Brick shakes his head.

“Not followed. Good to know.” Their possessive and protective natures bond them further as things are unsaid in their exchanged looks around the room and to us. “We gonna get them, sir. I promise you that. It’s time to stop waiting on the sidelines.”

“Agreed. I’d like to be on the other fucking side of this and the other side of the world about now. Let’s both find a way to fucking end this shit.”

Sal turns a ring over in his hand. I pluck it from there and shove it on his finger. “Don’t take that off again.” I narrow my eyes and he winks at me.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Sal

After all the hugs and tears, we sit in the back and wait for the music to end. We don’t interrupt these good people’s night with our bullshit. They didn’t ask for it, so I wait in the corner of the room. My back flanked by two walls and a crack shot sniper to my left feels pretty great. Boomer is skulking around outside. He must have had a hard life to understand this one so well. I know snips and snaps of his past and have made sure he’s on the up and up, but there’s something to that man. My girl inspires that in people. He’s a good soldier and a steadfast man. She’s sitting too far away for my liking, but her cousin is holding her hand and talking a mile a minute.